Chapter 17 #2
Jimmy leaned forward, grinning. “We are very excited. The internet nearly broke when it was announced that Aradia is returning for the Shadow Peak season finale. I mean—people lost their minds.”
Camille laughed lightly. “They did. I’ve seen the comments.”
“So let’s address it,” Jimmy continued. “You left the show last year, publicly saying that you’re a Christian now and it no longer aligned with your values. And then—boom—you secretly film the final episode. What happened?”
She shook her head, smiling. “No secret conspiracy. No publicity stunt. I am a sincere believer. Born again. That hasn’t changed.”
“So the faith thing wasn’t—”
“Not a marketing ploy,” she said gently but firmly.
“But you’re back,” Jimmy pressed, though his tone remained playful. “You made this dramatic exit. And now you’re closing it out. That’s poetic.”
“It felt right,” Camille said. “I had a conversation with the producers. With Simon. We worked through it. I was given creative input into Aradia’s final arc. And it aligned with my values.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. “So Aradia gets a redemption moment?”
Camille smiled knowingly. “You’ll have to watch.”
“Oh come on. Give me something.”
She laughed. “No spoilers. I’m not getting sued again.”
The audience laughed with her.
Jimmy shifted slightly. “There’s also a lot of… conversation online about your professional circles changing. New collaborations. New creative partnerships. Is that influencing your choices?”
Aaron stiffened.
Camille didn’t.
“My choices are influenced by conviction,” she said evenly. “And growth. As artists, we evolve. As people, we evolve. I’m grateful for the projects I’ve been part of—including Shadow Peak. It gave me the chance to bring closure to a character I helped to build.”
“So would you return again?” Jimmy asked, leaning in. “If fan response is overwhelming?”
She shook her head gently.
“No. She’s moved on. I’ve moved on. I’m thankful I got to give Aradia a proper goodbye. But this is the end.”
There was something final in her tone. Not bitter. Resolved.
Jimmy nodded. “Well, fans are going to be thrilled either way. The excitement around the finale is insane. People are calling it the most anticipated episode in the show’s history.”
“That means a lot,” she said.
Aaron had to admit—she handled it flawlessly.
She was warm. Funny. Measured. She didn’t dodge questions, but she didn’t let them drag her into the mud either. She kept the focus where it needed to be—on the show, on Aradia, on closure.
For the sake of the film, it was good.
The studio had forgiven her. Public sentiment seemed intrigued, not hostile. Esther wasn’t in mortal danger.
She stood by her Christianity claim.
He still didn’t know if he trusted it. But that wasn’t his problem anymore.
He turned off the television.
~*~*~*~
The next week he immersed himself even deeper—meeting with sound designers and composers, sharing reference tracks, experimenting with temp music to establish tone. He discussed visual style and color palette with the colorist, debating warmth versus desaturation in Esther’s final scene.
The editor’s assembly was completed two weeks after shooting wrapped. His first cut followed two weeks after that. The Studio executives and the producers reviewed the cut.
And through it all, he kept telling himself the same thing.
She is an actress.
Just an actress.
Even if every frame proved otherwise.
~*~*~*~
Weeks later, the film was shown to a test audience to gauge reactions, which triggered another round of re-editing.
The only scene flagged was the one with him and Yves.
Apparently, the audience loved every scene with him and Camille—and Camille in general—but especially the ones with the two of them together.
Ray had been right. The on-screen chemistry between them was more than noticeable; it carried the film.
They spent the next week tightening the scenes identified in the screening. Then the picture was locked. No more changes to the visuals—everything fixed in place so sound, music, and effects could build around it.
To say he was relieved was an understatement. It gave him a few welcomed weeks to breathe, to rest, to spend time with Madison.
Unfortunately, it also gave him too much time to think.
Too much time to think about Camille. About how much he missed her.
About the quiet, aching loss of what they had been building.
In some ways, it felt like losing Scarlette all over again—except it wasn’t the same.
With Scarlette, there had been finality.
A clean, devastating certainty. She was gone, and he would not see her again this side of heaven.
But Camille… Camille was different.
She was still here. Still within reach.
He could see her if he wanted to. That was the problem. The temptation lingered daily, subtle but persistent. He found himself circling the same questions. Had he been too harsh? Too quick to walk away? People made mistakes. She had done what she thought was right.
But every road led him back to the same hard truth.
She had deceived him.
Not once. Not in a moment of panic. But over days.
How could he trust her again? How could he be sure she wasn’t still holding something back? That what she said now would be the whole truth?
Madison had asked for her at first.
His mother had been right—Madison had grown attached. She missed Camille in her small, earnest way. Thankfully, as the days passed, the questions stopped.
But his didn’t.
It was one of the hardest things he had ever done, but he knew it was best to leave it alone. To let it be.
He saw her everywhere as the marketing campaign ramped up—her face here, her voice there. Interviews, magazine spreads, television appearances. She was unavoidable.
Meanwhile, the sound designers layered in effects, and the final mix wove together dialogue, music, and sound into a seamless, immersive whole.
Soon, he would have to face her again.
They would be on a talk show together.
He didn’t know how he would manage it. Didn’t know what it would stir up when he saw her in person.
But he trusted God that, somehow, it would be okay.